my new cologne

i go shopping for

a new

cologne.

i've tried them all from Old 
Spice

to Hai Karate,

to Brut,

to Geoffrey Beene,

to Karl Lagar,

but

they all smell too strong

these days,

now that i'm not chasing

skirts at the disco

in my blouse

like shirts, half unbuttoned,

and pastel flair pants.

what's this one?

i ask the clerk,

as i spray a bit onto my wrist

and sniff.

that's called Ambivalent,

she says.

it's neither here nor there.

sort of undecided.

not too strong, but bland

and on the fence.

it's a mild fragrance that says,

you don't give

a damn about a lot of things

these days.

perfect, i tell her, pack me

up a gallon or two,

i'll pull the car up.